maybe it's the caffeine
by Hunter10600
Summary: ..or the way her smiles sparkle and gleam... In which Tyson works as a barista at the Nine Muses Cafe and meets Ella, a cute, fun-loving and talkative girl that seems to have his heart screeching to a stop. Human AU. #pjoshipweeks2014, #week2, #Tyson/Ella (Subtle hints of Percabeth)


**title: maybe it's the caffeine...**

**author: hunter10600**

**summary: ...or the way her smiles sparkle and gleam... In which Tyson works as a barista at the Nine Muses Cafe and meets Ella, a cute, fun-loving and talkative girl that seems to have his heart screeching to a stop. Human AU. #pjoshipweeks2014, #week2, #Tyson/Ella Subtle hints of Percabeth. **

**a/n: I know this is extremely late. Like really, really, late. But I wanted to contribute something. And this couple is really overlooked. I mean, yeah, they're adorable and cute. But there's really no serious side, so I wanted to write something like that. And that, came in the form of a human AU. So enjoy!**

**disclaimer: anyone seen my mastermind draft for Blood of Olympus? oh, well I haven't seen it either. guess we know who _doesn't_ own it. all I own is that small thing at the bottom in italics. so, enjoy!**

**Written for PJO Shipweeks 2014 Week 2: Tyson and Ella.**

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Tyson sighed as he once again rubbed sleepiness from his eyes. His Friday, so far, had not started well. He'd woken late, caused by lack of sleep, and ended up being incredibly late for class.

The said class had a project due that morning, one that he'd forgotten, and had to pull together a few scraps of metal along with a few blueprints from his half-brother's girlfriend's suggestions. That had given him a B-.

After that, he'd had problems with his eyes and had jogged back to his dorm to take out his contacts. Unfortunately, they were his last pair, so he'd had to don his thick glasses.

The rest of the day, he suffered taunts and teases from other classmates. His only defense being his hyperactive Hispanic and humorous friend, who had a weird obsession with fire, and his roommate who was his kinda-older-brother figure you always wanted but never had (even though he had an older half-brother, Percy). But who would defend him? He stood at a towering height of 6'3", with a bulky build that would intimidate anyone. However, he was smart and gifted with delicate hands that could build just about anything and cursed with severe ocular impairment.

So, following the insults was a hot steaming cup of joe.

He'd gotten out of class late, as he'd been talking to the teacher (who voiced concern for him, as he had seemingly nodded off), which meant that he was late for work. And as he'd turned the corner and opened the back door, he found coffee staining his orange uniform shirt.

That left him here, dealing with a particularly indecisive customer.

"Wait, should I have the Maple Latte or the-?" Was all he had heard from the customer, an old chubby man dressed in a leopard spot shirt, who was taking his time trying to decide.

Tyson was close to nodding off again, however, his other co-worker, Jake, snapped a towel at him. He whispered ,"Now's not the time to slack!", before leaving to serve a couple their drinks.

The old man never seemed to notice Tyson's exchange as he still looked critically at the menu board.

"Terry," The old man began, after scrutinizing his name tag, "Do you have any wine?"

Tyson had to stop himself from face palming. The man must have been really confused. Or drunk. Maybe both.

"No sir, we don't have any wine." Tyson replied as politely as possible.

Why would a man think a cafe would serve wine? Much less a cafe on campus?

The Nine Muses Cafe was the campus's cafe, known for its coffee and delicious cookies (blue cookies, if his half-brother were there). If he wanted wine, he could've stopped by the Parthenon, a new bar (for a few college seniors and teachers) that had just opened up down the road, instead of going to a cafe for college students (with a strict rule about alcohol).

The man squinted his bloodshot eyes, as if he didn't understand.

"Sir, if you aren't going to order, please step aside. There's a line waiting behind you." Tyson offered, "Try the Parthenon." With that the man grunted, and hobbled to the door, exiting with a shove to the incoming customer.

Tyson shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. His eye caught the time.

2:15. Time for break.

As he clocked out, his sleepiness suddenly came over him and he found himself nodding too soon Jake shook him awake and put him back to work. Tyson had tried not to make his tiredness so obvious, however, Jake noticed and had clapped him on the back before putting him to work."Take a few shots of espresso for that, I'm sure you'll be fine after that, just don't tell Reyna."

Tyson just nodded and took his advice, downing one (okay, three) shots of espresso. The shots seemed to work slowly, because within five minutes he was back to serving coffee at a breakneck speed.

Soon, the serpentine-like line that was once behind the old man had disappeared, only leaving the customers that were dining in, some of which included students working on projects and teachers grading papers.

Jake had come behind him in the midst of his thoughts and had clapped him on the back, laughing merrily. "Now there's the Tyson I know!" They both fist bumped and stepped aside as they talked, joking and laughing about the campus life. The chime of the doors filled the air and Tyson headed back to the register. He looked up to greet the new customer and his breath hitched.

She was beautiful. With her red locks and round face, to the feathery red cardigan that graced her light figure. She was a knockout.

Tyson could feel his heart stop at the sight of her. His stomach began to twist in knots, with butterflies.

"It has to be the caffeine," Tyson thought.

She stayed by the door, looking in awe at the selection depicted on their growing screen menu. Tyson would've stayed like that staring at her all day. However, a certain blonde decided to show his face.

The blonde had been seated in a booth by his crew. Jake had served them their drinks before Tyson had arrived. That had taken a page from his book. He didn't need more insults thrown at him.

However, fate decided it was time for him to face the music. In his case, face a teddy bear obsessed senior. Octavian Legacy. He was infamous on campus for his "Teddy Bear Murder" incident in his freshman year. Then, he was a scrawny blonde looking for some confidence and power. Now he was a worshiped idol of power, with his seat on the student council.

Needless to say, he hadn't changed since the last time Tyson interacted with him, which was a few weeks ago. Octavian, though Tyson towered over his form, intimidated him with his confidence over things. He'd decides to poke fun at Tyson's roots of homelessness. Tyson had been close to crying, torn with a need to beat him to a pulp and the need to curl in a ball and cry.

He'd never needed to do that, since Octavian's then girlfriend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, had pulled him away. He was safe then, but today, he wasn't so sure. He'd heard around that 'Octachel' had suffered through a nasty breakup. So Rachel wasn't there to save him.

Great, just what I need after a day like this, Tyson thought. He braced himself for Octavian's harsh words, it would always be a routine like this. He was surrounded by his crew when he came up to the counter, that would mean ridiculous "Ooh" and snickers.

"Look what trash dragged in today," Octavian's loud voice carried through the cafe. "Hello, Cyclops," He continued, flashing an irritatingly 'innocent' smile. If his half-brother were there, he would've probably decked him by now. However, no one was there to defend him. So...

"Welcome to The Nine Muses Cafe, how may I help you?" And then came the torrent of insults hurled towards him. He had already heard all of them, most were about his past life on the streets, he vaguely caught a few new ones like "You retard!", which seemed incredibly childish for a college senior. Instead he focused on the girl in the feathery cardigan.

They, unfortunately noticed, and began taunting him. "Does Tyson have a whittle crush?" They all laughed, "No one will ever love a monster like you!" And they snorted and laughed together. Tyson hung his head down in shame, but he held a brave face.

"A monster is way better than you, you power hungry snake!" A new voice echoed, and when Tyson looked up, he saw the girl standing there with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed and she scowled menacingly at them, specifically Octavian.

Octavian sputtered wildly, probably not used to being stood up to, and his friends snickered quietly. He held a hand for them to stop, and they did with a few elbows to their ribs.

"And who might you be?" He replied, cryptically calm, as his eyes scanned her figure.

"Not interested in someone like you," She answered coldly, "My step-sister may have fallen for you, but don't think that I can't see through your lies,"

"Your sister," He mused, "Hmm... I don't remember dating any defiant redheads. But I'm willing to change that if you are?" He finished with a smirk.

"Of course," She scoffed, "Feelings are just a game of power for you. Rachel used to go on and on about how sweet you were. I'm surprised she actually gave you a chance." She eyed him questioningly, "I mean, even though she had you begging on your knees, she still should have said no."

Octavian's contorted into anger, shock, and some... Hurt? He looked torn in trying to say something, but he, instead stormed out the cafe, leaving his crew bewildered.

A smile stretched on the girl's face. Tyson returned it as she stepped to the counter.

"Welcome to the Muses Nine Cafe... err.. The Nine Muses Cafe, help you may I how?" He finally said after a few moments of silence. He could feel his cheeks warm as she giggled at his slip.

"Mm... I don't really know what to get. I've never been here before and all of it looks so good. Yum!" She began, and he focused on the sound of her voice. At a closer distance, he could see her more clearly. She had coffee brown eyes, that he could imagine seeing them light up at the thought of something exciting. She wore a dirt brown dress, that was plain, but seemed to match the red in her wardrobe.

She had a smile gracing her lips as she continued to talk, he could have stayed like that all day. And she smelled like... She smelled like...

"Cinnamon..." He mumbled dreamily.

"Huh?" Her eyebrows scrounged in confusion and before Tyson could stop himself he muttered, "You smell like cinnamon,"

His eyes widened and he stuttered, a blush coloring both their cheeks. "Umm.. Uh." Was all Tyson could stutter out before she began talking."Ella likes coffee, and coffee's good. Ella also likes cinnamon, not cheese," She blushed again, "Ella likes Tyson." And she clamped her hand over her mouth.

They both just stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. Once the two had calmed down, Tyson cleared his throat and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Tyson."

"Ella," She replied, taking the outstretched hand, "Sorry, I only speak in third person when I'm nervous."

"Don't worry, I think it's cute." He replied, and they both blushed again. "Sorry about those jerks, you didn't have to defend me, really," H shrugged, "It happens all the time,"

"Well, what if I wanted to," She smiled at him, revealing pearly white teeth. They were both still blushing, but Tyson thought she looked even more beautiful. "Then I owe you. How about a Cinnamon Dolce Latte for the pretty lady, on the house."

"You really don't have to," She insisted, but Tyson stopped her hand that was reaching towards her purse. "It's on the house," And Tyson could swear he heard her mumble "Ella likey," before he went to prepare her drink. Before he left to serve her, Jake gave him an encouraging smile and told him he had the rest of the weekend off, that started after serving his last customer, which happened to be Ella.

Tyson spent the rest of the afternoon with Ella. They laughed and talked as if they'd known each other for years. Tyson learned that Ella had a tough past with an abusive father, Phineas, but had overcome the obstacles and found a family in the Dares.

In turn, he revealed his past of homelessness of seven years. A school, Meriwether Prep, had found him and given him clothes and a shelter and an education. The Jackson family had opened their arms for him and he'd been happy ever since.

He learned that Ella loved reading books, and that she was prone of spouting lines form books she'd read, such as "When you are weak, act strong," from the Art of War, she didn't like cheese, and that she was scared of heights and was afraid to go on boats.

He hoped she learned something about him, because every time she opened her mouth to speak, he could feel his heart stop. He could feel a queasiness forming in his stomach, unsure if it was just some stomach issues or butterflies. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead when she touched his arm lightly, and he could hear his heart begin to beat faster than light.

"It has to be the caffeine, it has to be," Tyson thought.

But one last look at her and he quickly changed his mind.

"She's pretty."

/

_"maybe it's the caffeine/or the way her smiles sparkle and gleam _

_that makes my heart stop/my stomach twist in knots_

_maybe it's the extra shots/or her coffee brown eyes and dark red locks_

_that turns my brain into mush/uh oh, is this a crush?_

_maybe it's just my eyes/ or the way her eyes shine_

_that has my heart beating as fast as a mile/and shivers tingling down my spine..."_

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**A/N: So.. how was it? Good? Bad? I hope it was good enough, since this is extremely late. So sorry... I wrote this to try and inspire my head to write that third chapter of "Lincoln High, Meet the Boyfriend", which is still in the works. Thanks for everybody who reviewed on that fic, and enjoy this as well!**

**Hunter10600**


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